Are you tired of being stuck in traffic jams? Soon you could FLY over it! The £235,000 flying car can take off at any time to avoid the queue – and could go on sale as early as 2025
Are you tired of being stuck in traffic jams? Soon you could fly over it in a £235,000 electric car.
Unlike most of its rivals, Alef Aeronautics’ Model A can actually be driven around on the street like a normal car.
But it’s also packed with propellers in the hood and trunk, allowing it to take off at any time and skip the line.
The lightweight two-seater – which should be in production in 2025 – has a road range of 320 kilometers and a flight range of 180 kilometers.
CEO Jim Dukhovny said he wanted to bring science fiction to life and build an ‘affordable’ flying car, which would likely cost closer to £25,000 if built on a large scale.
Are you tired of being stuck in traffic jams? Soon you could fly over it in a £235,000 electric car
Unlike most of its rivals, Alef Aeronautics’ Model A can actually be driven around on the street like a normal car
The carbon fiber frame – which is approximately 5.5 meters long and 2.5 meters wide – is designed to fit in any parking space or garage.
To drive on the road, the car uses four small motors in each of the wheels and drives similar to a normal electric car.
This leaves room for eight propellers at the front and back, which rotate independently at different speeds, so it can fly in any direction.
It uses a technology called distributed electric propulsion, where a mesh cover over the rotor blades provides airflow through the vehicle.
Its cruising speed in the air is 180 km/h, while on the road it will be limited to 40 to 55 km/h, despite being able to go much faster.
This is so that the vehicle – which weighs 350kg – can be classified as an ultralight ‘low speed vehicle’, a legal classification reserved for small electric vehicles such as golf carts, to comply with regulations.
To drive on the road, the car uses four small motors in each of the wheels and drives similar to a normal electric car
The car uses a technology called distributed electric propulsion, where a mesh cover over the rotor blades provides airflow through the vehicle
Mr Dukhovny claimed that the car, which is intended for the general public, is relatively easy to use and takes only 15 minutes to learn.
The airborne controls are similar to those of a consumer drone.
The Model A differs from most so-called flying cars being designed today because it actually functions like a car, he said, while others on the market are mostly eVTOLS, which are essentially electric helicopters that can fly on their own.
Alef’s founders started working on the concept in 2015 – coincidentally the same date Marty McFly went Back to the Future in the second part of the Hollywood trilogy.
Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Mr Dukhovny said: “If all goes well, if we have sufficient financing and if regulations remain the same, we should be able to start production by the end of 2025.”
The Model A differs from most so-called flying cars being designed today because it actually functions like a car, he said, while others on the market are mostly eVTOLS, which are essentially electric helicopters that can fly on their own.
The Model A is currently reserved for £235,000 – around the same as the top Rolls Royce, Bentleys and Aston Martins – but the company aims to sell them much cheaper in the future.
Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Mr Dukhovny said: “If all goes well, if we have sufficient financing and if regulations remain the same, we should be able to start production by the end of 2025.”
He added: ‘For flying cars to become commonplace, they must be affordable.
‘The fundamental technology behind the Model A is simpler than that of a Toyota Corolla or a Ford Focus, so if we can build high volumes and optimize production, there’s no reason why it should cost more than £25,000.’
Alef Aeronautics’ main backer is billionaire investor Tim Draper, who also financed Tesla.